Northern Ireland
Date ideas in Belfast
Updated
Belfast is a small city with hills on one side and the lough on the other, so a big view is never far away. In between there are Victorian pubs with their snugs still in use, a covered market that's busy all weekend, free museums in the Botanic Gardens, and the old shipyard where the Titanic was built. When the weather turns there's plenty to do indoors, and when it's clear the Causeway Coast is an easy day out. These are our picks.
Our picks in Belfast
Titanic Belfast
Olympic Way, Titanic Quarter
Address: 1 Olympic Way, Queen's Road, Belfast BT3 9EP- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
Work your way through the galleries in the angular, ship-shaped building on the slipways where the Titanic was built, from the shipyard and the launch to the sinking and the wreck.
Why it's a good date: It's a story you both know, told where it actually happened, and it's easy to spend a whole afternoon in. Walk out onto the slipways afterwards to see the outline of the ship marked on the ground.
Photo: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Cave Hill and McArt's Fort
Cave Hill Country Park, from Belfast Castle, north Belfast
Address: Belfast Castle, Antrim Road, Belfast BT15 5GR- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Active
Start at Belfast Castle and climb through the woods and heath of Cave Hill Country Park to McArt's Fort, the rocky summit above the city.
Why it's a good date: It's a proper climb, and the reward is the whole of Belfast and the lough laid out below you. Wear good shoes, keep back from the cliff edge, and finish with a cuppa at the castle.
Photo: Sourabh.biswas003, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Botanic Gardens and the Palm House
Botanic Gardens, Queen's Quarter
Address: College Park, Botanic Avenue, Belfast BT7 1LP- Outdoors
- Free
Wander the lawns and rose beds of the Botanic Gardens, then step inside the curved iron and glass of the Victorian Palm House and the steamy Tropical Ravine nearby.
Why it's a good date: A free afternoon that works in any weather: stroll when it's dry, and warm up among the palms when it isn't. The Ulster Museum is at the other end of the gardens.
Photo: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)
Ulster Museum
Botanic Gardens, Stranmillis Road
Address: Botanic Gardens, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AB- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Browse art, natural history and the story of Ireland's north under one roof, from fossils and an Egyptian mummy to Irish painting and the history of the Troubles.
Why it's a good date: It's free, it's got a bit of everything, and it's easy to split up and meet again at whatever you each liked best. Pair it with the Palm House for a whole afternoon in the gardens.
Photo: Bazonka, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
The Crown Liquor Saloon
Great Victoria Street, city centre
Address: 46 Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7BA- Bar
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Cosy
Squeeze into a carved wooden snug at Belfast's famous Victorian gin palace, all coloured tiles, stained glass and gas lamps, and ring the bell for a drink.
Why it's a good date: A snug to yourselves in a room this beautiful is about as romantic as a pint gets. It's busy, so go early in the day or the evening to get one, and the Grand Opera House is just across the road.
Photo: Suzanne Mischyshyn, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)
St George's Market
May Street, city centre
Address: 12-20 East Bridge Street, Belfast BT1 3NQ- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Graze your way round the stalls in the Victorian covered market, from local cheese and fresh fish to street food and baking, often with live music playing.
Why it's a good date: Each of you picks a stall and you share. It's at its liveliest on a weekend morning, so go hungry and take a bag for whatever you end up carrying home.
Photo: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)
The Duke of York and Commercial Court
Commercial Court, Cathedral Quarter
Address: 7-11 Commercial Court, Belfast BT1 2NB- Bar
- Cheap and cheerful
- Big night
Find the cobbled lane of Commercial Court in the Cathedral Quarter and settle into the Duke of York, a pub crammed with old whiskey mirrors and signs, with live music on many nights.
Why it's a good date: It's the warmest welcome in the Cathedral Quarter, and there are a few more good bars within a minute's walk when you're ready to move on.
Photo: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)
Kelly's Cellars
Bank Street, city centre
Address: 30-32 Bank Street, Belfast BT1 1HL- Bar
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Cosy
Duck into one of Belfast's oldest pubs, low-beamed and whitewashed, for a pint and a session of traditional music.
Why it's a good date: Get a seat near the musicians and let the evening drift. Sessions don't run every night, so check what's on before you go.
Photo: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)
Grand Opera House
Great Victoria Street, city centre
Address: 2-4 Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7HR- Event
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Big night
- Culture
See a musical, a play or the Christmas panto in the red and gold Victorian theatre on Great Victoria Street.
Why it's a good date: The auditorium is a show in itself, all gilt and plasterwork. Make a night of it with a drink in the Crown across the road before curtain up.
Photo: Joseph Mischyshyn, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)
Crumlin Road Gaol
Crumlin Road, north Belfast
Address: 53-55 Crumlin Road, Belfast BT14 6ST- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
Take a guided tour of the Victorian prison that held inmates for 150 years, through the wings and cells and down the tunnel that once led prisoners to the courthouse.
Why it's a good date: A bit different, a bit spooky, and full of stories to talk over on the way home. Book ahead, especially at weekends.
Photo: Olliebailie, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Queen's Film Theatre
University Square, Queen's Quarter
Address: 20 University Square, Belfast BT7 1PA- Activity
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Cosy
- Culture
Catch an independent, foreign-language or classic film at the city's arthouse cinema, tucked into a terrace by Queen's University.
Why it's a good date: A film you'd never find at the multiplex, then a drink at the bar to argue about it. Botanic Avenue's cafés and restaurants are round the corner for afterwards.
Photo: Transbedy, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Established Coffee
Hill Street, Cathedral Quarter
Address: 54 Hill Street, Belfast BT1 2LB- Café
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Start the day with a flat white and a plate of brunch at a bright, minimal café in the Cathedral Quarter that takes its coffee seriously.
Why it's a good date: An easy, relaxed first date, or a slow weekend breakfast before a wander round the Cathedral Quarter's lanes.
OX
Oxford Street, by the river
Address: 1 Oxford Street, Belfast BT1 3LA- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Romantic
- Foodie
Book dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant on the banks of the Lagan, with seasonal tasting menus built around produce from Northern Ireland's farms and coast.
Why it's a good date: The one to save for an anniversary: serious cooking in a calm, unfussy room. Book well ahead.
The Lagan Towpath
Lagan Towpath, from Stranmillis to Shaw's Bridge
Address: Shaw's Bridge car park, Malone Road, Belfast BT9 5YN- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Active
Walk or cycle the towpath beside the River Lagan out of the city, through meadows and woods to the old stone arches of Shaw's Bridge.
Why it's a good date: It's flat, green and surprisingly peaceful for somewhere so close to the city. Hire bikes for a longer day, or walk out and treat yourselves to lunch on the way back.
Divis and the Black Mountain
Divis Road, above west Belfast
Address: Divis Road, Hannahstown, Belfast BT17 0NG- Outdoors
- Free
- Dog friendly
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Active
Follow the tracks and boardwalks across the open hilltop above west Belfast to the summit of Divis, the highest of the Belfast Hills.
Why it's a good date: Wild, windy and quiet, with the city at your feet and, on a clear day, the Mournes and the coast of Scotland. The National Trust is doing work up there, so check what's open before you go.
The Giant's Causeway
Causeway Road, Bushmills, about an hour and a quarter north
Address: 44 Causeway Road, Bushmills BT57 8SU- Trip
- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Dog friendly
- Out of town
Head up the Causeway Coast to scramble over the thousands of six-sided basalt columns stepping down into the sea, then walk the cliff-top path for the view back down.
Why it's a good date: It's the famous one for a reason, and a proper day out together. Go early or late to miss the coach parties, and make a road trip of it along the coast.
Dates in Belfast: quick answers
What are good rainy-day dates in Belfast?
Titanic Belfast, the Ulster Museum and a tour of Crumlin Road Gaol all keep you dry, and the Palm House in the Botanic Gardens is warm whatever the weather. Then find a snug at the Crown or settle in at Kelly's Cellars.
Are there free date ideas in Belfast?
Plenty. The Ulster Museum and the Botanic Gardens cost nothing, and neither do the walk up Cave Hill, the hilltop on Divis or the Lagan Towpath out to Shaw's Bridge.
Where can we hear traditional music on a date in Belfast?
Kelly's Cellars on Bank Street is one of the city's oldest pubs and known for its sessions, and the bars around Commercial Court in the Cathedral Quarter often have live music too. Check what's on before you go.
Where can we go for a day out from Belfast?
Drive or take the bus up the Causeway Coast to the Giant's Causeway, about an hour and a quarter away. Closer to home, Divis and Cave Hill feel miles from the city.
Save these to your jar
Dote keeps every date idea you find in one jar you share with your partner, and tells you which ones suit the weekend weather. It's free on iPhone and Android.
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